Method and System for Enhance Roaming and Connectivity in MIMO-Based Systems

Abstract

A system and method for communicating with a first network device via a first communication link established by a plurality of transceivers, the first communication link including a plurality of wireless signals and communicating with a second network device via a second communication link established by at least one of the plurality of transceivers, the second communication link including at least one wireless signals, wherein the at least one of the plurality of the receivers terminates one of the plurality of wireless signals communicating with the first network device and at least one other one of the plurality of transceivers maintains an other one of the plurality of signals communicating with the first network device.

1 . A method, comprising:
 communicating with a first network device via a first communication link established by a plurality of transceivers, the first communication link including a plurality of wireless signals; and   communicating with a second network device via a second communication link established by at least one of the plurality of transceivers, the second communication link including at least one wireless signals, wherein the at least one of the plurality of the receivers terminates one of the plurality of wireless signals communicating with the first network device and at least one other one of the plurality of transceivers maintains an other one of the plurality of signals communicating with the first network device.   
   
   
       2 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 terminating the other one of the plurality of signals of the at least one other one of the plurality of transceivers communicating with the first network device, thereby terminating the communicating with the first network device via the first communication link.   
   
   
       3 . The method according to  claim 2 , further comprising:
 initiating a further signal from the at least one other one of the plurality of transceivers via the second communication link to communicate with the second network device.   
   
   
       4 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the method is performed by a mobile unit roaming from the first network device to the second network device. 
   
   
       5 . The method according to  claim 4 , wherein the method is repeated by the mobile unit roaming from the second network device to a further network device. 
   
   
       6 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the first communication link utilizes a multiple-in-multiple-out (“MIMO”) mode. 
   
   
       7 . The method according to  claim 4 , wherein the mobile unit is one of a personal digital assistant (“PDA”), a cell phone, a Voice over Internet Protocol (“VoIP”) based wireless phone, a VoIP-based wired phone, a laptop, a handheld computer, a portable barcode scanner, and a non-mobile computing device attached to a network interface card. 
   
   
       8 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first and second network devices is an access point. 
   
   
       9 . A system, comprising:
 a first computing device including a first plurality of transceivers which transmit multiple wireless signals and receive multiple wireless signals;   a second computing device including a second plurality of transceivers, wherein, when the first computing device is roaming from the second computing device, the second computing device transmits and receives data over a first communication link between only a portion of the second plurality of transceivers and a corresponding first portion of the first plurality of transceivers; and   a third computing device including a third plurality of transceivers, wherein, when the first computing device is roaming to the third computing device, the third computing device transmits and receives data over a second communication link between only a portion of the third plurality of transceivers and a corresponding second portion of the first plurality of transceivers, wherein the transceivers of the second portion of the first plurality of transceivers are different from the transceivers of the first portion of the first plurality of transceivers.   
   
   
       10 . The system according to  claim 9 , wherein the first computing device further includes a plurality of antennas corresponding to the first plurality of transceivers such that the plurality of antennas are equal in number to the first plurality of transceivers. 
   
   
       11 . The system according to  claim 9 , further including:
 a wireless switching device, the wireless switching device managing the roaming of the first computing device.   
   
   
       12 . The system according to  claim 9 , wherein the first communication link utilizes a multiple-in-multiple-out (“MIMO”) mode. 
   
   
       13 . The system according to  claim 9 , wherein the first computing device is one of a personal digital assistant (“PDA”) a cell phone, a Voice over Internet Protocol (“VoIP”) based wireless phone, a VoIP-based wired phone, a laptop, a handheld computer, a portable barcode scanner, and a non-mobile computing device attached to a network interface card. 
   
   
       14 . A computing device, comprising:
 a plurality of transceivers transmitting and receiving data over wireless signals, the plurality of transceivers transmitting multiple wireless signals and receiving multiple wireless signals, a first portion of the plurality of transceivers in communication with a first wireless device within a wireless local area network, a second portion of the plurality of transceivers in communication with a second wireless device within the wireless local area network; and   a processor to reconstruct multiple wireless signals received from at least one of the first wireless device and the second wireless device.   
   
   
       15 . The device according to  claim 14 , wherein the first wireless device is one of an access point and a mobile device. 
   
   
       16 . The device according to  claim 14 , wherein the communication between the device and at least one of the first wireless device and the second wireless device utilizes a multiple-in-multiple-out (“MIMO”) mode. 
   
   
       17 . The device according to  claim 14 , wherein the device is one of a security data is one of a personal digital assistant (“PDA”), a cell phone, a Voice over Internet Protocol (“VoIP”) based wireless phone, a VoIP-based wired phone, a laptop, a handheld computer, a portable barcode scanner, and a non-mobile computing device attached to a network interface card. 
   
   
       18 . The device according to  claim 14 , wherein the first and second portions include all of the plurality of transceivers. 
   
   
       19 . The device according to  claim 14 , wherein the communications with the first and second APs occur during a roaming of the mobile computing device. 
   
   
       20 . The device according to  claim 14 , wherein the communications implement a Quality of Service (“QoS”) scheme. 
   
   
       21 . A computing device, comprising:
 a plurality of transceiving means for transmitting and receiving data over wireless signals, the plurality of transceivers transmitting multiple wireless signals and receiving multiple wireless signals, a first portion of the plurality of transceivers in communication with a first wireless device within a wireless local area network, a second portion of the plurality of transceivers in communication with a second wireless device within the wireless local area network; and   a processing means for reconstructing multiple wireless signals received from at least one of the first wireless device and the second wireless device.